Heel covering



March 5, 1929. w, H. mm 1,704,204

HEEL COVERING Filed Au 1927 F Fig.5;

Patented Mar. '5, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

7 WILLIAM H. or arnwmmvronr, .nas sncmrsmrs, nssmnoa to man anon .MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF.

JERSEY.

HEEL C .EATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW OVEBIRG.

Application mes August 31, m7. Serial no. 218,760.

Thisinventi'on relates to improvements in covered heels. The invention is capable of embodiment in heels of various types and is herein illustrated as embodied in both Louis and Cuban heels.

In a co-pending application Serial No. 71,989, filed Nov. :28, 'l'925,'in the name of Anthony Cocozella, there is described and claimed a covered Louis heel in which the breast covering, instead of being trimmed flush with the lateral edges of the heel breast in the usual manner, is laid in a shallow recess extending substantially the full width of the breast of the heel between relatively l5 narrow ribs which define the recess and conceal and protectthe edges of the breast covering. In the heel disclosed in this co-pending application the margins of the side covering overlap the ribs on the heel breast and I these overlapping cover portions are trimmed along the inner sides of the ribs so that they abut the trimmed lateral edges of the breast covering, the joints between the side and breast coverings being spaced inwardly from the edges of the heel breastand imparting to the heel a neat and finished appearance which is lacking in Louis heels as commonly made prior to the invention disclosed in said application.

80 One object of the present invention is to provide an improved heel which has the advanta es of the finished appearance of the heel disclosed in said o-pending application but which is easier and less expensive 36 to make.

I With'this object in view, the invention in one of its aspects comprises an ,improvecL/ heel having grooves extending heightwise of the heel adjacent to its breast corners, a cover for the rear and sides of the heel having marginal portions tucked into said grooves, and a covering for the breast of the 'heel.havingmarginal portions tucked into said grooves beside the tucked-1n portions of the Ni cover for the rear andsides of the heel. The illustrated heel, in which the grooves are formed in the heel breast presents an appear ance similar to that of the heel disclosed in said application Serial l lo. 71,989, but inas- Itl much as it is simpler and easier make relatively narrow grooves than it isto cut away ,sui rlcient material to make a wide recess as disclosed in the application referred to, the grooved construction above described is much less expensive to manufacture and furthermore, the edges of the side cover, being tightly tucked into the grooves, are firmly held in. 0 place and have no tendencyto become loosened. As illustrated, the cover for the breast of the heel may be in the form of a flap split from the sole of a shoeand applied after the heel has been attached to the shoe, or it may be a separate piece of covering material applied to the heel before the heel is attached. Preferably the lateral margins of the breast covering are tucked into the grooves inthe heel breast beside thetucked-in margins of the side covering.

In another aspect, the invention comprises a new article of manufacture consisting of a heel block having at each lateral margin of its breast a relatively narrow groove for receiving the inturned edge of the heel cover.

The invention further consists in features 4 of construction hereinafter des claimed. 7

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a Louis heel block embodying certain features of the present invention; 1

' Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a covered- Louis heel, the covering having been applied cribed and toa heel block constructed as shown in Y Fig. '1;

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of the covered heel shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view take the line IV-IV of Fig. 3 g

" Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view of a shoe having attached thereto a heel the rear and sides of which'are covered as shown in Figs. 2 to 4, inclusive, but the breast of which is covered by means of a. flap split from the sole of the shoe;

. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a Cuban heel block the breast of which is grooved in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a covered Cuban heel and Figs. 8, 9, 10 and 11 are cross-sectional views of covered heels showing modifications in the arrangements of the grooves and the cover margins.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings there is shown a Louis heel block or uncovered heel 12 having formed in its breast surface 14 two relatively narrow grooves 1616 (see also Fig. )4) which extend from the top to the bottom of n: along 20 edges of the the heel breast close to and parallel with the lateral edges or corners of the heel breast. These grooves 16 are provided for the purpose of receiving are turned inwardly from two covers such as those shown at 18 and 20 in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, the cover 18 extending around the rear and sides of the heel and overlapping the narrow portions of the breast at the outer sides of the grooves 16, and the cover covering the 7 breast surface between said grooves. The cover 18 for the rear and sides of the heel is cut to a shape to provide sufficient surplus for V overlapping the top and bottom faces of the 15' heel and also for tucking into the grooves 16. In accordance with the usual practice the lateral margins of the covering for the sides of a heel are notched and wiped inwardly across the margins of the breast surface, the cover lying exposed on the breast surface. In covering a heel with a grooved heel breast, such as that shown. in Fig. 1, how-- ever, the lateral margins are trimmed parallel to the respective edges of the heel breast and the trimmed cover margins are tucked into the grooves 16. The cover margins are trimmed to provide onl suflicient surplus to extend a substantial istance downwardly into the groves without reaching the bottoms of the grooves so that in'tucking in these cover margins the tucking pressure may be continued for the purpose of stretching the cover over the sides of the heel until all wrinkles in the cover are removed and the cover lies smoothly against the surface of the heel.

In covering the breast of the hes], the breast covering is not laid over the inturned margins of the side coveringas is the usual ractice in covering Louis heels but, after the reast covering has been wiped into place, the lateral margins thereof, which should be trimmed parallel with the-respective grooves 16, are tucked into the grooves beside the previously tucked-in ed e portions of the side cover. In trimming t e margins of the breast covering, as in trimming the margins of-the side covering, the trimming cuts may be gaged relatively to the grooves to insure that in tucking in the cover margins the breast covering itself may be stretched so as to smooth out any wrinkles therein before the edges of the cover engage the bottoms of the grooves. The width of the grooves also is determined i with reference to the thickness of the side and breast coverings so that when the edges of both coverings have been tucked side-by-side in the grooves they will fill the grooves and fit tightly enough to insure against any possibility of becoming loosened.

If desired, the covering 20 for the breast of the heel may be made to match the color and surface finish of the sole of the shoe to which the heel is to be attached so as to give the effeet that the breast covering is an extension lateral edge portions which 'or integral part of the sole. Moreover, if-

desired, the breast covering may consist of a flap split from the sole'of a shoe, the latter construction being shown in Fig. 5 wherein 22 designates a flap split from but integral with the sole 24 of a shoe 26.

- The above-described manner of making covered heels is not by any means restricted to use in connection with Louis heels but is equally applicable to Cuban heels, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, wherein a Cuban heel block 28 is shown as being provided with edge grooves 30, 30 in its breast parallel with and closely adjacent to the respective edges of the breast, and side and breast coverings 32 and 34, respectively, are shown as being applied to the heel with their lateral margins tucked side-by-side into the grooves 30.

It is, of course, not essential either in Louis or Cuban heels to have grooves arranged parallel with the respective edges of the heel breast and this relation may be departed from if desired by causing the grooves to converge more than do the breast corners of the heel. Moreover, particularly if a sole flap is to be employed for covering the space between the grooves of the breast, it may be desirable to slope or curve the upper end portions of the grooves outwardly toward the opposite corners at the upper forward edge of the heel breast so that the breast flap will taper gradually from the full width of the sole at the top of the heel breast to a minimum width at the bottom ofthe heel as shown in Fig. 5.

In heels which have been covered as above described not only are the edges of both the sideand breast coverings hidden from view 4 and firmly held in place but the joints between said coverings are of such a character asnot to detract in any way from the finished appearance of the heel but on the contrary to improve the appearance thereof. As shown, for example, in Figs. 2, 3, 5 and 7, the joints 36 between the side and breast ,covers appear -merely as lines-or slight indentations in the breast surface of the heel. The locations of the joints or lines36 may be varied to produce a desired ornamental or other pleasing effect. It may, for example,

be desirable to have the joints 36 located very close to the lateraledges or corners of the heel breast or, in other words, to reduce to a minimum the widths of the inturned portions of the side covers which are visible when looking squarely at the front or breast surface of the heel. In order to avoid any tendency toward splitting of the heel, such as might result from locating the marginal grooves 16 too close to the edges of the heel, the grooves 16 instead of extending transversely at right angles to the surface of the heel breast, as shown in Fig. 4, may be inclined transversely relatiyely to the surface of the heel breast, as shown at 38 in Figs. 8 and 9. In Fig. 8 the transversely inclined side there will be a narrow portion of the breast covering visible throughout the'height ofthe heel breast. This construction may be of particular importance when a breast flap is used as abreast covering, or when a covering separate from the sole is made to match the color and finish of the sole to simulate an extension of the sole, inasmuch as the portion of the breast covering which is visible from the side of the heel has the. effect of a continuation of the line of the sole edge downwardly along the breast edge of the heel. In Fig. 9 a similar effect is obtained by cutting away the material of the breast at the outer sides of the grooves 38 'so that the inturned margins of the side cover will be offset rearwardly from the plane of the breast covering, which may be either a flap split from the sole or a separate piece of material. Fig. 10 illustrates a heel having grooves 40 at right angles to thebreast surface and side surfaces which have been shaped so that the portions of the side covers which are visible from the front'of the heel will appear narrow. The sides of the heel have also been cut backwardly from the plane of the heel breast as indicated at 42 to expose a portion of the breast covering (whether sole flap or otherwise) when the heel is viewed from the side. In the modication shown in Fig. 11, the, grooves, shown at 44, have been made only wide enough to receive a single thickness of cover material and only the margins of the side covering have been tucked therein. The breast surface between thegrooves 44 is shown (at 46) as having been recessed or paneled to receive a breast covering, such as a sole flap of substantial'thickness in such into said grooves.

a manner that the outer or exposed surface of the flap Will be flush with the inturned portions of the side covering at either side of the heel breast, the opposite lateral edges of the breast flap abutting the tucked in margin of the side covering instead of being tucked into the grooves beside the latter.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A heel-having a pair of grooves in its breast substantially parallel to its breast corners, and a coverfor the rearand sides. of the heel having opposite end portions tucked 2. A heel having along each lateral margin of the heel breast,

grooves extending one a cover for the rear and sides of the heel having opposite end portions tucked into said grooves, anda covering for" the portion of the breast surface between. said grooves.

3. A heel having grooves extending one. along each lateral margin of the heel breast,-

eral margin of its breast, a cover for the rear and sides of the heel having opposite end portions tucked into said grooves, and a flap split from the sole of the shoe. and covering the portion of the heel breast between said grooves.

5. In a shoe, in combination, a heel having grooves extending one along each lateral margin of its breast, a cover for the rear and sides of the heel having opposite end portions tucked into said grooves, and a flap split from the sole of the shoe covering the portion of the heel breast between said grooves and having its lateral edge portions tucked into said grooves beside the tucked-in portions of the side covering.

6. A heel block having at each lateral margin of its breast a relatively narrow groove to receive the inturned edges of a heel cover.

7. A heel block having in its breast two marginal grooves extending heightwise thereof for receiving the opposite marginal portions of a heel cover.

8. A heel block having at each lateral margin of its breast a relatively narrow'groove extending parallel to the adjacent lateral Ill edge of the breast face to receive the inturned edges of a heel cover.-

9. A heel block having a cover-receiving groove in its surface, the groove being substantially inclined transversely relative to the surface.

10. A heel block having a pair of grooves substantially parallel to its breast corners,

said grooves being inclined transversely rela-' tively to the breast surface of the heel.

11. A covered heel having in its surface a groove the side walls of which are substan- Ill tially inclined relatively to the surface of the III breast surface extending substantially parallel to the'breast corners of the heel, said grooves having side walls inclined transversely relatively to the breast surface of the heel, a cover for the rearand sides of the heel having opposite end portions tucked into said grooves, and a covering for the portion .of the breast surface between said grooves having its lateral edge portions also tucked into said grooves.-

14. A heel having grooves extending one along each lateral margin of the heel breast, the portion of the heel adjacent to the inner side of each groove projecting forwardly be yond the "portion of the heel adjacent to the outerside of said groove, a cover for the rear and sides of the heel having opposite end portions tucked into said grooves, and a cover for the portion of the breast surface between said grooves having its lateral edge portions tucked into said groovebeside the tucked-in portions of theside cover, the hreast cover projecting forwardly beyond the side cover.

15. In a shoe,in combination, a heelhaving grooves extending one along each lateral margin of the heel breast, the portions of the heel adjacent to the inner sides of said grooves projecting forwardly beyond the portions of of the shoe and covering the portion of the heel breast between said grooves having its lateral edge portions tucked into said grooves beside the tucked-in portions of the side covering, the .breast covering flap being plainly visible from either side of the heel.

16. A heel having grooves extending heightwise thereof, one adjacent, to each breast corner of the heel, a cover for the rear and sides of the, heel having marginal portions tucked into said grooves, and a covering for the breast'of the heel having marginal portions tucked into said grooves beside the tucked in portions of the cover for the rear and sides of the'heel. i

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

WILLIAM H. NUTT. 

